This leaf is from the brief transitional period when the new technology of printing with movable type was combined with the more labor intensive methods of hand painting. The earliest printers were trained in the manuscript tradition and incorporated the conventions of historiated initials and illustrations into their early work. At first they left those spaces blank for the illuminator to complete entirely by hand. Later they developed printing methods (using woodcuts or iron engravings) to decorate the leaves.

This leaf on paper from an Italian prayer book is printed in black and red ink, surrounded by engraved scenes from the bible, including Jesus on the cross. The text is in Latin and includes part of Ecclesiasticus 24, which translates in part as:

And so I was established in Zion, and in the holy city I likewise rested, and my power was in Jerusalem.
And I took root in an honored people, even in the portion of the Lord's inheritance.
I was exalted like a cedar in Lebanon, and like a cypress on Mount Zion.
I was exalted like a palm tree in Kadesh, and like a rose-plant in Jericho.
I was exalted like a beautiful olive tree in the fields, and like a plane tree by the water in the streets.
I gave forth a fragrance like cinnamon and aromatic balsam; I gave forth a sweet smell like choice myrrh.

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Condition: A

A hint of toning and minor marginal soiling.